


How the Mighty Fall (and Rise Again)

by FallOutFandoms



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy, The Youngblood Chronicles (Music Video)
Genre: Body Horror, Kinda, Multi, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Non-Graphic Violence, am I tagging these right, basically prepare yourself for everything that comes with the Youngblood Chronicles, first fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-15 17:18:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3455390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallOutFandoms/pseuds/FallOutFandoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Apocalypse of Music was upon them, and honestly, Patrick wishes he had never found that damn suitcase. Now he's a ticking time bomb, with a hook on his arm, and his best friends are being pushed to their limits. Great.</p><p>(Okay, it's an AU of an Au basically. Nat is a character of my ownership, and no, this is not an OFC/band member, I hate those. This story also changes through Point of Views, I hope that's okay)<br/>((More about Nat in the notes))</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Doesn't it Feel Like our Time is Running Out?

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, as the tags said, this is my first fic. This chapter is short, but they'll get longer, my friends. Anyway, my OC Natalie was in high school with Patrick when FOB was started. When she heard about the band, she wanted in, and they figured 'why the hell not'. Fast forward a few years, she's sharing an apartment with Andy, and having basically the time of her life. The apartment sharing is entirely platonic, btw. As I said, I hate OFC/band member stuff. Hope you enjoy!

Fall Out Boy was a great band. They were popular, talented, and their fanbase was (mostly) kind and loyal. The five members of the band were best friends, sharing smiles and secrets like siblings.  
Andy Hurley was the voice of reason, a main conscious for the band, like the mind controlling the body. The straight edge vegan was bright, his smile never failing to cheer up the others on a bad day. Joe Trohman was the life of the party, his silliness and his ridiculous hair combined with his kind heart making him a great person to talk to if you had a breakup or just need someone to help you laugh. Pete Wentz was like the body of the band, helping them work together as a functioning group. His attempt at his life in the past doesn't make his smile any duller. It makes him stronger. Patrick Stump was the heart of the band, the golden voice carrying them along. He was often asked if he was an angel by his band mates, and he would just respond with a giggle and a shrug. Natalie 'Nat' Thompson was the air in the bands' lungs. She kept them going if she saw any of them starting to fall back, like wind under a birds wings.  
The five of them formed their band in 2001, with Fueled by Ramen as their label. They rose in popularity quickly, taking the punk rock world by storm. Andy played the drums for the band, while Joe took to his guitar. Pete wrote their songs and played base, while Patrick sang them with all his heart. Nat sang along in the background behind him while playing whatever it was the others couldn't, be it her violin or just clapping for the song.  
Years later, the five of them discovered a briefcase containing a power beyond compare. The Spirit of Rock and Roll. All was good for the five, and they were preparing to start on their newest album, American Beauty/American Psycho, when it happened.  
The Apocalypse of Music.  
This is the story of their lives, deaths, and everything in between. 

Patrick

The five of them looked down at the suitcase as Patrick opened it. Pete ran his hands through his hair, and the rest smiled at each other.  
"This is great..this is friggin' great." Nat murmured, grinning.  
"Hell yeah it is." Pete agreed.  
"Let's all just head home, alright? I'll lock this to myself, I've got handcuffs." Patrick said, pulling the silver bracelets out. He locked one side to the handle of the suitcase, and the other to his wrist. The five smiled once more before going their separate ways. Nat and Andy started heading back to their shared apartment, with Nat saying something about needing to buy some non-vegan food for herself on the way home. Joe mentioned he needed gas on his way out the door.  
"Patrick, I can go with you, if you want." Pete offered. "That suitcase is like, super important."  
"Nah, I'll be fine. Thanks, Pete."  
"..alright, Lunchbox. Be careful."  
"I'll try." Patrick teased as Pete left. Patrick weighed the case in his hand, smiling a bit, before walking outside as well.  
He started humming as he walked, the suitcase swaying back and forth with his strides. He looked around, the street almost unusually empty. He turned and looked behind him, and still saw no one, but when he turned back around, a boy on a bike was looking at him. Patrick smiled at him, and the boy smiled back. He failed to notice the sound of heels hitting the concrete, but he felt the sting of a taser being pressed to his neck before everything went black.  
He would regret waking up.

Pete

A knock on the door stirred Pete from whatever level of sleep he had been on. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up and looking around. Pete pulled on some pants before walking to his front door, opening it. All that was there was a plastic bag hanging from the door handle. He opened it, gasping sharply at what was inside. Patricks' hand...  
Pete shook his head, trying to compose himself before walking back inside. He took a deep breath.  
"The others, gotta warn the others.." He murmured, walking back to his bedroom. "Time to shine." He said quietly to the large bird sitting quietly in its cage. Pete dressed before pulling on his handler glove. He opened the cage, and the hawk fluttered his wings and landed on Pete's arm. Pete brought the bird outside, letting him take off into the sky. He watched the hawk get smaller and smaller, finally vanishing from sight.

Andy and Nat

"C'mon, Andy, we've gotta go to the store!" Nat whined as they walked.  
"You can survive on my food for a few days, Natalie. We'll go shopping when we have more to buy."  
"I don't eat vegan food, Andy. I respect your decision to not eat meat, please respect that I don't eat fake meat."  
"Did you just quote Teen Titans?" Andy asked, smiling a bit.  
"Maybe." Nat responded, smiling as well before something caught her eye. "..a hawk?"  
Andy looked up at the bird as well, tilting his head slightly. "What-?"  
He didn't get to finish his sentence. A van suddenly pulled up in front of them, and they were both shoved inside. 

Joe

Like Joe had said, his car needed gas. He leaned against the pump, waiting for his car to be filled so he could go home. (Leave it to Joe to smoke at a gas pump, but that's not important right now.) He took a deep drag from his cigarette as a van pulled up to the pump across from his. It didn't even occur to him that it wasn't facing the right way to be filled. Joe heard the van door open, then close, but didn't bother looking back until he suddenly felt a wet rag being pressed over his mouth and nose. He thrashed, but his body was quickly going limp. He managed a single thought before passing out.  
'Huh. So that's what chloroform smells like.'

Pete

The bassist took a deep breath when he saw the hawk flying towards him, hoping it had gotten to the others in time. He held his gloved arm out for the hawk to land on, but before it even got close enough to think about landing, Pete felt a needle stabbing into his neck. He flinched and reach up for the needle, trying to get it out, but he quickly fell limp. The woman who had injected him caught him, a smug grin on her face. She began dragging him away, the hawk flying past them.

FOB, minus Patrick

The first thing Pete noticed when he woke up was that his arms and legs were bound, and he had some sort of bag over his head.  
"Hello? Anyone? Hey! Let me out of here!" He yelled, blinking rapidly, hoping it was just another one of his nightmares. He felt something shift next to him.  
"Mm..Pete? Is that you, man?" Joes' voice asked, groggy and thick with sleep.  
"Joe? Do you have any idea what's going on?"  
"Nah..I was at the pump, and then I felt a rag over my mouth, and now, we're here."  
Pete felt more shifting, on the other side of him this time.  
"What..oh my god, where am I? Andy?? Anybody?!" A distinctly female voice exclaimed.  
"Nat, hey! Calm down just a bit. Did you see anybody before we ended up here?"  
"Pete? Ah, no, I didn't see anyone..some blond hair is all. Is Andy here? Andy?!"  
The violinist felt a body move next to her, followed by a muffled voice.  
"Andy?"  
She felt him move a bit more, as if he was turning himself over.  
"Natalie? Where are we?" Andy asked weakly.  
"I don't know, none of us know."  
Pete suddenly let out a distressed yell. "Patrick! Patrick isn't here! I-I got a bag, on my door, it was his hand-oh god, Patrick is dead!"  
"Woah! Pete, panicking won't do us any good! We don't know that he's dead for sure. Which hand was it?" Joe asked, trying hard not to panic himself.  
"The one the suitcase was on..Joe, I was gonna go with him! He would be safe if I'd just gone with him! God damn it!" Pete yelled, beginning to thrash about again.  
"Pete! Nothing would've changed if you'd gone with him! They got all of us, didn't they? You going with Patrick would've just meant they got you sooner." Andy explained, voice calm, but Nat could feel him tensing up next to her.  
Natalie, on the other hand, was simply trying not to cry.  
"We're gonna die, aren't we? They're gonna kill us all. Andy, I don't want to die yet! There's so much I haven't done!"  
"We're not gonna die! We'll think of something." Joe muttered, and the others heard a thump that may have been Joe hitting his head against the wall.  
Pete sighed heavily.  
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this plays out, you guys.."  
"Not much else to do, is there?" Joe mumbled.  
And so the four of them fell silent, listening to the vans engine as it drove. After a while, the noise of the engine suddenly cut out, and they heard the doors open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter is short, I know. Please, tell me what you think! Comments, concerns, and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!


	2. The Foxes Hunt the Hounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, two chapters in one day because it occurred to me how short this one was gonna turn out to be. I'm sorry, the next few will be longer, I swear.

The first thing that happened was all four of them were pulled roughly out of the van. The bags on their heads were removed, only to be replaced a moment later by blindfolds.  
"Let us go, whoever the hell you are!" Pete yelled.  
"Not yet, darling." Was the only reply.  
The four were then pulled upwards so they were standing, and the binds around their legs were cut. They all instantly made moves to escape, but they were all held on each side by more women. Natalie tried stomping on their feet with her heel, and actually manage to get one of them before she was slapped. She cried out in pain, her cheek stinging.  
"Play nice, now. We don't want you too damaged. Yet." Another female voice warned.  
"Natalie, just do what they say! Don't get yourself hurt." Andy said, his voice bearing an edge of pleading.  
"Listen to your boyfriend, Natalie."  
"He's not my boyfriend." She muttered.  
"Oh? What is he to you, then?" A new voice asked.  
"Why the hell should I tell you?"  
"Fine, don't tell us. It makes no difference. Let's bring them upstairs, girls."  
Suddenly, the people holding them forced them to start walking, shoving them forward. They were all yelling and screaming, demanding to be let go. After a few minutes of walking, they heard a loud sound, and suddenly they were moving upwards.  
"Where are you taking us?" Andy asked, sounding at least semi calm.  
"Don't worry, we're just gonna get you all something to eat." The woman from before explained.  
"You think feeding us will make us all suddenly like you?" Joe asked.  
"Not at all." Another woman answered.  
"Where's Patrick, you crazy bitches?!" Pete suddenly yelled, thrashing in the arms of the women holding him.  
"You'll all see him soon! You'll be eating with him, actually."  
Pete stopped struggling instantly, eyes widening under his blindfold.  
"So, he's alive?"  
"Of course. We wouldn't just kill our favorite toy. You need to break toys before throwing them away, right?"  
Pete wanted to scream and yell again, but fought against the urge. He needed to hear Patrick's voice, he needed to know that he was okay.  
Soon enough, the elevator stopped, and they were all forced out. All of them except Pete began struggling again, yelling as they were sat down and tied into chairs. Pete was oddly relaxed as he was tied into place.  
"Patrick?" He called out, voice full of hope.  
"Hey, Pete..glad you guys could join me." Patrick's voice responded, but he sounded, different. Like himself, but at the same time, completely off.  
"Patrick, your hand-"  
"Yeah, it's gone. I've just got a stump now. Hehe, stump. Patrick Stump. Get it, Pete? Patrick Stump!" He exclaimed before dissolving into laughter.  
"What the hell did you do to Patrick!?" Pete yelled.  
"Just gave him some medicine. It's probably good that he's too high to feel the pain." Another woman explained before Pete felt something stab into his arm.  
"Ow! What the hell is this?!"  
"Medicine." The woman answered, laughing a bit as Pete slowly went limp in his chair.  
Joe struggled as he, too, felt a needle in his arm. An oddly familiar limpness overtook him, and he sagged. Andy followed next, still weakly struggling as the drug ran its course. Natalie was the last one to be injected, and she succumbed almost instantly.  
"Just roll with it, guys." Patrick said, giggling a bit. "It's not that bad. Look, they're bringing us some drinks!"  
Pete felt a cup being pressed to his lips, and he drank slowly.  
"Tastes weird.." He murmured.  
"It's just special, don't worry." A woman said, sounding like mother shushing their child.  
"Special.." Pete repeated before laughing slightly. "Okay.."  
Andy was next to get the cup, and he couldn't so much as close his mouth to stop the liquid from getting in. Him being an edge, this was his first time ever being high, and he wasn't reacting well at all. Joe was a bit used to the feeling, so when the cup reached his lips, he tried in vain to shake his head as whatever was in the cup drained into his mouth. Natalie could barely keep her head up, so the woman with the cup held her head back to make sure she didn't choke on the drink.  
"Ooh, they've got smoke too, guys." Patrick said before the others heard him inhale deeply, letting his breath out slowly.  
Andy suddenly began struggling a bit, seeming to sober up considerably.  
"No..'m a straight edge, I don' do that." He slurred.  
"Shh, it's okay, it feels good." A new woman cooed, pressing the smoke to Andy's lips. He breathed in, then slowly let the smoke out, coughing a little as he did so. Natalie was next to get it, breathing in and out slowly, the smoke barely registering in her drugged up mind. Joe was last, and the woman smiled a bit as she pressed the nozzle to his lips.  
"You're used to smoking, aren't you?" She asked, and he just responded with a deep inhale, followed by a slow exhale.  
"Ah, they've got some colorful powder too, guys." Patrick said, giggling quietly. "Am I supposed to snort this?" He asked the woman who was holding the tray, which was covered in small piles of colorful powders.  
"Mhm. Deep breath through the nose, darling."  
Patrick did just that, laughing again afterwards.  
The women went around to Pete, and he slowly inhaled some of the powder, his head falling forward. Andy tried again to deny the drugs being forced into his system, and again failed as he breathed in the powder. Natalie was too high to deny anything at this point, just going along with whatever the women gave her. Joe must have reached some sort of new mental plane, because he wasn't reacting at all to the new drug being forced into his system.  
"This..isn't, food.." Pete said slowly, struggling to form the words.  
"We were just about to start feeding you, actually! I'm so glad you remembered." A woman exclaimed before Pete felt a spoon being pressed to his lips. The rational part of his brain said to struggle, but he was too high to do much. He just let the food in, swallowing it without even pausing to think of what it was.  
"'M not hungry.." Andy told the women as a piece of something was pressed to his lips.  
"Oh, c'mon. Just eat it, it's delicious." The woman trying to feed him said.  
"You ever had lung, Andy? It's great, try it!" Patrick suddenly called out.  
"Lung..?" Andy murmured, and the woman managed to get the food into his mouth. He would've cringed if he wasn't so high on everything they gave him.  
"Tastes like blood.."  
Another woman began feeding Joe an apple, smiling as he barely did anything to show that he didn't want to eat it.  
Again, Natalie's head had to be held up as she was fed to keep her from choking. Pete's head suddenly lulled to the side, and he looked towards where Patricks voice had been coming from. "Patrick..what did..what did they do to you..?" He managed to slur.  
"Me? Well, they took my hand for a start." Patrick answered, giggling a bit. "And then they cut me open..and pulled my organs out. They replaced them with metal thingies. They taste good, don't they?"  
And suddenly, Pete was fighting to urge to throw up.  
"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt, Petey." Patrick said, laughing a little again. "Have you ever been this high before? I haven't. I feels awesome."  
But Pete didn't respond. He had passed out, both from shock and the many drugs in his system. The other three slowly followed, leaving Patrick the only one awake. He began laughing again, watching as a snake slithered its way across the table towards him.  
"You guys okay?" He asked to the open air before giggling again. The snake wound around his uninjured wrist, and he smiled down at it. A few minutes later, he too succumbed to the drugs, his head lulling to the side. What awaited the five of them once they awoke was something they were never prepared for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so shoooort. Anyway, again, comment your concerns and constructive criticism! Thanks!


	3. D'you Have Room for One More Troubled Soul?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three, yay! This one is a bit longer I think, so that's good. I hope you enjoy it!

Patrick

When the singer regained consciousness, he found himself strapped into yet another chair, a straightjacket keeping him from moving much. There were some plastic things stuck to his forehead, with wires connecting them to what seemed to be a large recording device or something of the sorts. The memories of everything that happened slowly returned to him as his vision cleared up. He appeared to be in some sort of chapel.  
"Nng..guys..? Hey, guys? Guys!" Patrick called out, remembering what had transpired at the table. "Pete! Somebody, help me!"  
Little did he know that just a few rooms away, his band mates were coming to as well.

Pete

The first thing Pete felt as he awoke was a splitting headache. He groaned, forcing his eyes to open and focus themselves. The room wasn't exactly well lit, but as he looked around, he realized he was surrounded by headless mannequins. He also realized that he was wrapped up in a straightjacket. He began tugging and thrashing, trying to get at least one arm free, but before long he realized it wouldn't work.  
"Great...hey! Can anyone hear me!? Guys?!" He yelled out, wincing as his own loud voice caused a high ringing in his ears. "Damn it.." He muttered before noticing a figure in the doorway. 

Andy

The drummer groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. His head felt like it was going to explode. Andy tried to move a bit, but found himself strapped into place with a straightjacket. He then became aware that he couldn't hear anything. His eyes widened, and he began shaking his head, but whatever was blocking out sound stayed in place.  
"Guys! Can anybody hear me?! Joe?? Natalie!?" He screamed, his heart racing in his chest. Andy had no idea where his friends were anymore. He didn't even know if they were alive.  
But they were. For now, at least.

Joe

Before he even opened his eyes, Joe knew that he wasn't in a normal chair. He was in a straightjacket, he could feel that, and his legs were strapped down, but his upper body was just sitting there with nothing supporting it but his own strength. As he slowly opened his eyes, his suspicions were confirmed as he realized he was sitting on a stool. He seemed to be on some sort of stage, and there was a microphone in front of him.  
"Is anybody there!?" He yelled into the mic, but the feedback screeched at him, and he suddenly realized how badly his head hurt.  
Looking in front of him, he saw a table covered in..food. Sort of. There were eggs and fruit and stuff. Joe raised an eyebrow.  
"The hell?" He whispered before he noticed three young girls walking up on stage. 

Nat

"My head..oh god, my head.." Was the first thing Natalie said as she woke up. Her head was throbbing, spots dancing behind her eyelids. When she managed to get her eyes open, she slowly looked around the room she was in. She was in a straightjacket, strapped down into a chair. Again. But as she looked around, she realized the walls were covered in pictures of..Andy?  
"Hey..what's going on? Hello?" She called out.  
Nat stared at the pictures in confusion before she started hearing footsteps. She looked around, and suddenly she was staring into the face of-  
"Andy?"

Patrick

As Patrick struggled to get out of his chair, he heard footsteps approaching. Two women walked into the chapel, smiling at him.  
"Hello again. Glad to see you're finally awake." The blond woman greeted.  
"Time to have some more fun." The brunette added, laughing a bit as the machine Patrick was hooked up to turned on. Music began playing, but it wasn't any sort of song Patrick wanted to hear. It was heavily distorted, more buzzing than anything else. He began struggling, shaking his head.  
"Turn it off! Turn it off!" He cried out, trying to shut the noise out.  
"No can do. Don't worry, this is just making you better!" The blond said, voice sickeningly cheerful.  
Patrick felt something inside of him start reacting to the music, like a clock starting to tick. He thrashed even more.  
"Make it stop!" He cried out, but even as he begged for release, his mind was starting to change. He began imagining dark, twisted things, his thoughts repeating 'kill, destroy, kill' like a mantra. Slowly, his struggle was reduced to nothing but the sound of him growling, his bluish green eyes taking on a striking, vibrant yellow color. The two women grinned.  
"He's ready."

Joe

He didn't know what was worse. The fact that he was being laughed at and beaten by three seven year old girls, or the fact that he wanted to hurt said seven year old girls. Joe winced as more eggs were thrown at him, accompanied by harsh insults and other words that seven year old girls shouldn't even know. He knew this could definitely be worse, but that didn't comfort him much.

Andy

The vegan cried out again as the sound blocking headphones were yanked from his head, letting in the high pitched noises coming from the TV. The woman who pulled the headphones off laughed.  
"Can't take a little loud noise, sweetie?" She asked before sitting in front of the TV, turning the volume up more. Andy let out a yell, struggling and thrashing side to side violently. He used enough force to actually knock his chair over, leaving him dazed for a moment as he now laid on his side. The woman only laughed more. 

Nat

Natalie watched as the woman walked towards her, wearing a mask of Andy's face. The woman must've been grinning as she pulled a small syringe out of her pocket, testing to needle before stabbing it into Nat's wrist.  
"Ah! What the hell is that?!"  
"Just a little drug. Don't worry, it's got no negative side effects. It'll just help you see some things." The woman said, but as she spoke, Natalie's vision began blurring a bit. When Nat looked up at the her again, she wasn't a woman in a mask anymore. She was Andy.  
"Andy..Andy, help me!" Nat cried out. Andy just chuckled a bit.  
"And why would I help you? You're worthless. The only reason you're in this band is because Patrick liked you. We don't need you." The fake Andy said, smiling cruelly. Natalie slowly shook her head.  
"No..that's not true..Andy, we share an apartment, we're best friends-"  
"Are we really? I felt sorry for you, that's why I let you share my apartment with me."  
"No..shut up!" Nat cried out, and the fake Andy just laughed again.

Pete

The woman in the doorway stalked towards him, smiling. She had a hook over one hand, which she slowly ran along his neck.  
"Oh, the things I'm gonna do to you." She said as she swung one leg over Pete's lap, sitting on his thighs as she suddenly kissed him roughly. Pete wanted to push her away, but he quickly realized he could use this to his advantage. He kissed back slowly, and she grinned.  
"Playing along, I see?"  
"Hell yeah." Pete murmured, smiling a bit. The woman kissed him again, moving her hands back and beginning to undo the straightjacket. After his arms were free, Pete slowly grabbed the woman by the shoulders before suddenly forcing her away. She hit her head on the floor, hard, leaving her dazed. Pete pulled the fake hook off of her hand, looking down at it before yelling and bringing it down onto the woman. He repeated this a few times, ignoring the blood now covering his hands. As soon as the woman was unresponsive, Pete straightened up, blood dripping from his fingers. He looked at the blood covered hook before running from the room.  
He ran into every room he passed, and in one of the rooms, he found a man in a straightjacket screaming for help. Pete glanced around before quickly undoing the straps to the mans straightjacket, helping him to his feet.  
"Now run." Pete told him before he ran into the hall again. As he ran, the lights suddenly turned red, and Pete realized that the women knew he was escaping. He ran faster as he heard heels hitting the floor behind him.  
"Guys! Guys!!" He yelled, trying to find the others. A moment later, he heard screams. Patrick's screams.  
"Patrick!!" Pete cried out, instantly following after the sound.  
He managed to lose the women chasing him as he turned corner after corner, trying to find his singer. The screams quickly died down, but Pete had a general idea of where they came from. A few minutes later, he ran into what appeared to be a chapel. Sitting before him was Patrick, his beautiful blue eyes a sickly vibrant yellow.  
"Patrick, oh my god, what happened?" He asked as he rushed forward, turning the machine behind Patrick off. Patrick growled at him, and Pete stared at him in surprise.  
"'Trick?" He said quietly, but Patrick just growled again, struggling against his binds. He looked ready to kill...  
Pete suddenly felt something stab into his neck, and he blinked in shock before collapsing, the hook in his hand falling somewhere beside him. Patrick looked down at Pete, his eyes slowly fading back to their normal color. The two women from before walked back into the chapel, looking at Patrick.  
"I think it's time to take them outside, don't you think?" The brunette asked. The blond nodded a bit.  
"Just make sure to send the song with them."  
Patrick stared up at them in fear before the brunette stabbed a needle into his neck, and everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. As you can see, the chapter titles are lyrics from the song the music videos are for. Clever me, huh? Anyway, comment and give constructive criticism!


	4. Light 'Em Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this one was rather simple to write. I guess the most difficult thing was switching between points of view once they got separated. And yes, another chapter in one day because I have nothing to do with my life.

Patrick woke up to the sound of his band mates talking. He groaned, trying to move before he realized he was bound again.   
"Ugh..guys..?"  
"Patrick!" Pete exclaimed, and the singer felt someone moving closer to him. "Patrick, oh god, what happened to you? Are you okay? Your eyes, they were all yellow, are you okay??"  
"Woah, Pete..I'm, I'm okay..I remember being in the chapel..that music was playing, and then..then I remember waking up, and you were on the floor, and I suddenly had a hook on my arm, and then one of the girls knocked me out.."  
"We all had very different experiences in there.." Pete muttered. "I think one of the chicks was gonna try some sort of sexual torture on me or something, but she was stupid enough to unstrap my jacket. I-..I killed her.."  
"I was attacked by seven year olds." Joe muttered. "It was crazy.."  
"I either didn't hear anything, or heard frequencies that would make a dog cry." Andy said quietly.  
"My room was full of pictures of Andy, and then some chick drugged me while wearing a mask of Andy and..yeah.." Natalie added.  
Pete shook his head. "What the hell do these girls want from us? They're not making any moves to kill us-"  
"Yet." Patrick murmured. "They will..eventually.."  
Suddenly, they all perked up a bit as they smelled something.   
"Guys..does anyone else smell fire?" Nat suddenly asked.  
The others sniffed at the air.   
"You're right. What's burning?"  
"It's not in here, we're in some sort of van, we'd feel a fire if there was one." Andy murmured.   
"Outside, then. But what are they burning?"  
Suddenly, there was a loud crack outside, followed by multiple pangs and pops.   
"..they're burning our instruments." Pete said quietly, almost awed.  
"Our-how can you tell?" Joe asked.  
"I've had a few nightmares involving fire, and that's what a guitar sounds like when it's being smashed and burnt."  
Another crack, then more panging.  
"And that must be what a violin sounds like.." Nat said softly.  
A loud bang, and Andy shifted again. "My drums.."  
"Well, it's better than burning us, isn't it?" Joe asked, trying to somehow lighten the mood.   
"Don't give them any ideas." Pete said, voice suddenly sounding angry.   
Patrick shifted again, and he quickly realized how hot it was getting inside the van.  
"Guys..guys, I think they are burning us!" He cried out as the van started filling with smoke.  
The five started coughing, kicking against the walls, trying to find the door.  
"We're not, gonna, die, here." Pete wheezed. "Patrick..your hook..where is it?"  
"Here, here, I'm moving it." Patrick said as he moved his arms to the best of his ability.   
Pete quickly found Patrick's hook, using it to cut the ropes binding his wrists together. The moment his arms were free, he found the van door and forced it open. The five of them fell out of the van, coughing and sputtering as they cleared the smoke from their lungs. Pete pulled the bags off of the others' heads, and Patrick used his hook to cut the remaining ropes. They all slowly stood up and looked around. It must've been the middle of the night. As the five of them slowly regained themselves, a group of young kids approached them, all wielding dangerous makeshift weapons. Patrick recognized one of the boys. He'd seen him on his bike right before he had been taken...the boy held a large boom box, smiling at Patrick. Joe looked at them, sighing softly.  
"More kids?" He muttered before the five band mates started running for their lives. They were in some sort of wooded area, so they split up amongst the trees. The kids split up too, however, leaving two or three to chase after each musician.

Joe

"More kids, why'd it have to be more kids!?" He yelled as he ran. Joe continued running, but collapsed when one of the kids running after him hit his leg with a chain. The kids surrounded him, kicking and beating him. Joe tried crawling away, but the boy with the chain simply hit him with it again. He went limp, and soon he was coughing up blood. The kids were practically basking in the crimson liquid.

Andy 

The drummer had a good start in front of the kids, but there was a heavy layer of mist hanging over the grass. One wrong step would leave him sliding to the ground. He maneuvered around trees, trying to confuse the kids. What he didn't notice was that one of the kids chasing him had seemingly vanished. A few moments later, the boy suddenly ran at him from the side, effectively tackling him to the ground. The other kids caught up quickly, and Andy cried out as he felt one of them stab his thigh. The kids beat him almost senseless, blood quickly covering them. Andy was a strong guy, but he wasn't sure how much of this he could take.

Nat

The young woman was running as fast as she could, but the kids were gaining on her. Natalie moved to duck under a low hanging branch, but her Converse slid on the slick grass, sending her to the ground.  
She hit her head on a root, stunning her long enough for the kids to catch up. One of the girls grinned and stabbed her in the shoulder. Natalie cried out before falling silent as one of the kids stomped on her chest. 

Pete

The writer was ahead of the kids following him for a while, but he soon slipped on the slick grass and stumbled to the ground. He managed to regain his footing, but the kids had already caught up to him. They tackled him to the ground, laughing as they covered themselves in his blood. Pete tried curling in on himself, but it didn't help much. His thoughts slowly drifted to Patrick, wondering if he was okay.   
What all of them had failed to notice was that the man Pete had saved had followed them. 

Patrick

The singer looked around, realizing that only one child had followed him. The boy with the boom box. The boy looked at him, grinning as he held up the radio. He pressed the play button, and a terrifyingly familiar song began playing. Patrick tensed up, eyes widening before they slowly faded to bright yellow. The boy smiled more as Patrick slowly walked towards him. Unknown to them, the man Pete had saved was watching them. He saw everything and, once he realized what was happening, he ran forward and grabbed the boys head before snapping his neck. The man picked up the boom box, pressing the stop button.  
"Hey! Hey, man, calm down!" He yelled, and Patrick's eyes faded back to their normal blue.   
"What.." Patrick murmured before he saw the boys body laying on the ground. He gasped before he started hearing footsteps.  
"Run, man! Run!" The guy with the boom box yelled, and Patrick hesitated before rushing off in the opposite direction.   
The man dropped the boom box, but before he could start running, something sharp pierced his back. An ax. He fell to the ground, and two women walked over to him.  
"You've messed everything up!" One of them yelled, kicking him harshly.   
"Let's just kill him." The other said, and soon enough, the man was laying dead. The grass around him was painted red. The women looked at each other.   
"Let's head back to the base. Plan B."  
The other woman agreed, and they began walking away. 

Joe

The bassist noticed the blows were no longer coming, so he opened his eyes. All he saw was the retreating backs of the kids, still covered in his blood. Joe forced himself to sit up, wincing as he reopened wounds that had scabbed over.   
"Guys..?" He called out weakly, but none of the others seemed to be in hearing range. He was alone. 

Andy

As soon as the kids stopped beating him, Andy had curled up a bit, taking deep breaths to try and ignore the pain. A few minutes of that, and he was able to sit up and rest against a tree. The grass around him was splattered with his blood. He coughed a bit, wincing as he shifted his injured leg. After a while, he finally regained his voice.  
"Natalie?" He tried yelling, hoping that she, if anyone, was close enough to hear him. After not receiving a response, he let his head fall back against the tree trunk. He had no idea where he was, and no idea where his friends were. Again.

Nat

Even after the kids left, Natalie laid on the ground limp for the longest time. Any movement she made hurt, every breath hurt, everything hurt. She wanted Patrick, or Andy, or somebody. She needed a reassuring voice, someone to hold her and say everything is alright. But she was alone, and she knew that, so she just closed her eyes and waited for morning.

Pete

The dark haired man had managed to sit up right after the kids had left. He examined his wounds, wincing as he poked and prodded each one to catalogue their severity. Nothing life threatening, but lots of them would require Pete to at least clean them out somehow.   
"Patrick, if you can hear me, yell something back!" He screamed to the air, his voice echoing slightly. But he didn't hear any yell back, from anybody.   
"'Trick...please, be okay. I need to tell you something. Please." Pete mumbled to himself, his eyes falling closed.

Patrick

The singer sat alone in the dark, looking around. He was covered in his own blood, which wasn't comfortable in the least bit. The scar running along his abdomen was burning, and his head was killing him. He had no idea where he was, and he didn't know if his friends were dead or alive. The night air was mockingly silent.  
"Guys?" He said aloud, foolishly praying for a response.  
He didn't receive one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. Remember to comment any thoughts or criticism!


	5. I Thought of Angels, Choking on Their Halos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this one's long. The ships also start coming into play, so that's good. Hope you enjoy!

Morning came around slowly for the members of Fall Out Boy. As the sun started shining upon them through the trees, they all decided upon the same thing, regardless of the space separating them all. Get up, find help, find the others. The survivors stood up slowly, their joints stiff and their bodies battered and bruised. 

Patrick

The lead singer sighed heavily, looking around for any signs of life. Finding none, he began walking in whichever direction his senses told him to go. Patrick pinched the bridge of his nose, his head still pounding.   
He didn't know how long he'd been walking. He didn't even realize he was walking along a road until he heard the roar of an engine. Patrick perked up, looking behind him in time to see an old truck slowing down beside him. The window rolled down, revealing a young women with curly brown hair. She looked Patrick over.  
"What happened to you?" She asked. Patrick shook his head a bit.  
"Too much. You wouldn't believe me." He murmured, rubbing the spot where the hook connected to his wrist. The woman smiled a bit, reaching over and opening the passenger door.   
"Try me." She challenged, and Patrick realized she was inviting him in. He blinked before getting into the truck, shutting the door after him.   
"Uh..I'm-I'm Patrick. Patrick Stump."  
"Is that some sort of joke?" The woman asked, glancing at his hook. Patrick chuckled halfheartedly.   
"Ironic, isn't it?"  
"Huh. Well, they call me Foxes."  
"Who's they?"  
"My family, my friends, myself. I like it. Foxes."  
"Oh..okay. Well, it's nice to meet you, Foxes." Patrick said quietly, smiling just a bit to be polite.  
"You're acting awful nice for someone covered in blood. Is it yours?" Foxes asked as she restarted the truck. Patrick nodded.  
"It's mine..hey! Is there a city or something around here?"  
"Yeah, we're only about a mile away."  
"Good! Okay, so, I'm not the only one, okay? My friends were dragged here with me. I-I don't know where they are. Can you help me find them, please? There's four of them, three guys and a girl around your age. They'll all be covered in blood like me, they might be really hurt. Please, can you help me find them?" Patrick asked desperately. Foxes smiled at him.   
"Sure. But you're paying for the extra gas."  
Upon seeing Patricks face, she laughed a bit.   
"It was just a joke." She assured him before starting to drive.

Pete

"Oh, thank god, or satan, whoever the hell is listening, thank you." Pete muttered as he saw a small city in the near distance. He had been walking for..well, he hadn't really been keeping track, but he'd been walking for a while. Now he had renewed energy, and he started running towards the city.   
"I'm coming, guys." He said to himself, hoping with all his heart that his band mates were alright. He ran until he couldn't anymore, slowing down only to catch his breath. He found himself wandering through a park, the grass a horribly cheerful shade of green. Pete slowly walked towards the parking lot, his eyes widening when he saw an elderly woman with a small girl.   
"Hey-hey! Hey, help me, please!" He cried out, speeding up towards them. The little girl looked over at him, letting out a scream when she saw the blood he was covered in.  
"No-I won't hurt you, I just need help-!"  
"Stay away from us! Don't make me call the police!" The woman yelled as she ushered the small girl into their car.   
Pete watched as the car sped away, collapsing to his knees. He ran his hands through his hair before letting out a yell of both fear and frustration. 

Nat

The girl was walking through a small city she'd spotted about half an hour ago. Natalie had tried hailing some cars that passed by, but the drivers sped up the moment they saw her red-spattered clothes. She sighed dejectedly as another car drove by her. Deciding to give up on catching a ride, Nat walked away from the road, pressing a hand over the wound in her shoulder. She hissed in pain, but kept pressure on it.   
Her thoughts quickly wandered to the others, and her heart rate sped up as images of them all lying dead somewhere flashed in her mind. She shook her head, refusing to believe it.  
"They're fine..they're somewhere around here, and they're fine." She muttered to herself before she heard footsteps. Her head shot up instantly, eyes scanning for the source. And find the source she did.

Andy

The drummer had no idea how long he'd been walking. He didn't even remember stumbling into this city he now found himself in. What he did remember was getting chased off by some homeless guy when he'd tried taking his food, but Andy couldn't help it. He was parched and starving, and the wound in his leg wasn't helping at all. Right now, he was walking along some sort of drainage tunnel. Well, it wasn't really a tunnel at all, but it ended in a drainage grate, so close enough.   
"Andy!" He heard a voice suddenly cry out. He looked over in time to see a flash of red hair before he was tackled to the ground. He winced before looking up into the wide, panicked green eyes of Natalie.   
"Andy, you're alive! You're alive." Nat exclaimed before hugging him tightly, ignoring the sudden searing pain in her shoulder at the contact. Andy blinked in surprise, slowly hugging back.  
"Natalie..Nat, are you alright?" Andy asked when the initial shock wore off.   
"Well, I was beaten and stabbed in the shoulder by a group of grade schoolers last night, so yeah, I'm wonderful." She answered, sarcasm dripping from her words before she smiled a bit. "I'm definitely better than I could be. How about you?"   
She rolled off of Andy, letting him sit up.  
"Sorry about that, by the way."  
"It's okay. Feel free to do it again, actually. It's a reassurance to feel you, to know I'm not just hallucinating." Andy said, rubbing the back of his neck before he glanced down at the wound on his leg. "Aside from this, I'm in pretty good condition."   
"Okay, good..we should get up. We need to find the others." Nat said as she forced herself to stand back up. She held her hand out to Andy, pulling him to his feet.  
"...do you think the others are okay?" She asked him as they began walking.  
"..yeah..I think so. They're pretty resilient guys."   
"..okay."

Joe

The guitarist was getting ready to give up. He'd been walking for who knows how long, and the city he'd wandered into was seeming pretty damn deserted at this point. Anyone he did manage to see ran away from him. Then again, what could Joe expect? He was a half-delirious man staggering around covered in blood. He shook his head a bit and looked around. He was walking along some road, his hands in his pockets.   
A few minutes later, Joe perked up as he heard the sound of a car driving towards him. He turned around, confused as to why the car wasn't hightailing it the other way. His eyes widened when he saw an old truck driving towards him, and Patrick was in the passengers seat. He was still staring at the truck in shock when it pulled up next to him.   
"Joe! Hey, are you alright?" Patrick called out from the window. Joe blinked, shaking his head a bit to clear the shock away.   
"Patrick! You're okay.." He said, smiling a bit.   
"Sort of..are you?"  
"I sure as hell feel better now."   
"Good, good..Joe, this is Foxes." Patrick introduced, moving a bit so Joe could see the woman in the drivers seat. She smiled and waved a bit.  
"Hop in the box. There's a jug of water back there, help yourself. Any idea where the other three are? Or are we gonna be driving around aimlessly for another hour?"  
"Sorry, I dunno where they went." Joe murmured as he hopped into the back of the truck.   
"Aimlessly it is." Foxes said with a quiet laugh, starting to drive again.   
The three of them drove for roughly twenty minutes before Joe suddenly started hitting the side of the truck.  
"Hey, stop the truck! Stop the truck!"  
Foxes slowed to a stop as fast as she could without giving anyone whiplash, looking around.  
"Why? What did we hit?"  
"I recognize that red hair anywhere. It's Nat and Andy! Guys! Guys, over here!" Joe yelled, standing up and waving his arms, trying to catch their attention.   
A small distance away, Andy paused and looked around, confused.  
"Andy? What's up?"  
"D'you hear that?"   
"Hear what?" Nat asked, looking around.  
"It's Joe." Andy said quietly, looking around more. As Natalie listened, she started hearing the telltale sound of Joe's voice, and her eyes widened.  
"Joe..Joe!" She yelled.   
"Natalie, Andy, we're over here!" Came the response, and Andy started running.  
"Woah-Andy, your leg!" Nat exclaimed, running after him.  
"Doesn't matter right now!" He yelled back, and a few moments later, the old truck came into view. Joe saw the two of them and grinned.   
"Hey, you two! Glad you could finally join us!" He teased, helping Andy and Natalie into the back of the truck. Joe hugged both of them tightly once they were in the box. Nat glanced through the window, and Patrick smiled at them.  
"Hey, guys. I'm so glad you're okay."  
"We're glad, too, but we're still missing Pete." Natalie said, looking around. Patricks smile vanished instantly.   
"Yeah..yeah, I know..but we'll find him. He's fine, I know he is.."  
The three musicians in the back shared a look that said there was no promises, but none of them actually said anything. Foxes looked at them in the rear-view mirror before nodding.  
"Just one more, right Patrick?"  
"Just one more..just Pete."   
"You seem a bit more concerned for this Pete guy then you did for the others." Foxes pointed out as she started driving again.   
"What-no I don't-"  
"Yeah, you do. Which is totally fine, by the way."  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"That you two are together, it's fine."  
Patrick felt a blush creeping up his neck.  
"We're not-we're not together. We're just friends."  
Foxes glanced at him, smirking a bit.   
"Just friends." She repeated before laughing quietly. "If you say so."  
It was another half hour before they found Pete. Andy had been the one to spot him, beating on the side of the truck to get Foxes' attention.   
"Stop, stop! It's Pete!"  
Foxes had quickly stopped the truck, looking in the mirror to watch Joe and Andy helping Pete into the back. Pete had collapsed to his knees, hugging them both tightly. He smiled weakly at Natalie before moving to the back of the box, leaning towards the passenger window.   
"Patrick, I've gotta tell you somethin', man. Before we get killed, I've gotta tell you this."  
Patrick looked back at him, eyes widening slightly.   
"Anything, go ahead.."  
"'Trick, I love you, okay?"  
"..well, I love you guys too-"  
"No, you idiot, I am head over heels in love with you! I knew it from the moment I saw you with your sideburns and your trucker hats and I just-..you needed to know.." Pete said quietly, visibly bracing himself for rejection. Patrick stared at him for a few seconds before reaching out the window with his normal hand. The songwriter stared at his hand before gently taking it into his own, twining their fingers together.  
"Lunchbox?"  
"I love you too, you idiot." Patrick murmured, smiling. Pete's eyes widened before he laughed a bit, pressing his forehead to Patricks hand.   
"Awesome..."  
"It's about time." Natalie said with a laugh. Pete looked back at her.   
"What's that mean?"  
"You two have been dancing around each other since this band started, we all knew." Andy answered, smiling a bit as well.   
"Well, in that case, you and Joe need to hook up too, then." Pete responded, smirking at the two as they both started blushing.   
"You guys can settle your relationships at the hospital!" Foxes exclaimed teasingly as she began driving again. Patrick looked over at her.   
"You're taking us to the hospital? Thank you.."  
"Don't mention it." Foxes said, smiling at Patrick.   
The rest of the drive was relatively quiet. None of the band members really knew what to say, so they just didn't say anything. Foxes tried starting conversations, but Patrick was paying closer attention to his friends in the back. Suddenly, Foxes looked at Patrick.   
"Hey, take the wheel!" She exclaimed before hanging out the window, standing and looking out ahead of them. Patrick let out a surprised yelp as he grabbed the wheel, trying to control the truck. Foxes sat back down a few moments later, grinning.   
"Almost there, it's just down the road."  
"Did you really need to do that?" Patrick asked, taking a deep breath.   
"What, did I scare you?" Foxes teased.   
As she had said, they pulled up in front of a hospital a few minutes later. Foxes smiled.  
"Here we are."  
Patrick looked up at the hospital. It looked really old, and not well kept.  
"Are..are you sure?"  
"I'm positive." Foxes answered, but when Patrick looked at her, her eyes had gone completely black. She smirked and turned on the radio, playing a song Patrick never wanted to hear again.  
"Have fun." Foxes said as Patricks eyes faded to sickly yellow. He let out a growl, and Pete tensed up in the back of the truck.  
"No..no, no..guys, we've gotta go!" He yelled, jumping out of the back of the truck. The other three stared at him in confusion before they saw Patrick exit the passengers side. They realized what was wrong instantly.   
"Patrick?" Natalie asked quietly. The singer turned and looked at them, his yellow eyes seeming to flash when he saw them.   
"Nat, Andy, run!" Joe yelled before jumping out after Pete, running towards the hospital. Andy followed right along side him, and Natalie was close behind. Patrick let out an inhuman roar before following after them, leaving Foxes alone in the truck, smiling to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! With that lovely ending, I ask you lovelies a question. I am thinking of writing a FOB/P!ATD high school AU-with a twist. The school is for Angels and Demons. Comment your thoughts please! Thank you!


	6. My Old Friends Become Exes Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This makes me feel awful, but writing Patrick in this chapter was pretty fun. Enjoy!

The four band members ran into the decrepit hospital, looking around for places to hide. Joe grit his teeth.  
"Guys, this sucks to say, but he has a smaller chance of finding us if we split up."  
Andy's eyes widened.  
"Joe, that's a terrible idea-"  
"No, it's not Andy, and you know it's not. It'll be okay, we'll be okay. Promise." Joe assured, managing a small smile before they all heard a growl reverberate through the halls. Joe grabbed Andy's shoulders. "Now go hide." He demanded before turning and running the opposite direction. Pete looked at them before he ran down a hall next to them.  
"Andy, I don't wanna leave you." Natalie said, voice shaking a bit.  
"It's okay. Like Joe said, Patrick has less of a change to find us if we're separated." Andy told her, but he didn't sound like he believed it. He sounded more hopeful than anything. Natalie stared up at him before nodding a bit.  
"Okay." She said quietly before running past Andy, down the hall behind him. Andy looked around trying to find a good room to hide in. He quickly decided, however, that it didn't make much of a difference, so he went into the first room on his right. Looking around, he realized the room was full of medicines and rubbing alcohol.  
"Okay..this is fine." He murmured to himself, walking to the farthest shelf and sitting behind it. He curled up a little, trying to make himself as small as possible. He winced and looked down at his leg, suddenly remembering the stab wound in his thigh. Andy grabbed one of the bottles of rubbing alcohol, opening it and biting his lip before pouring some over the wound. He hissed in pain, clenching his free hand into a fist.  
Whether it was for better or for worse, the sudden spike of pain caused Andy to miss the sound of footsteps passing the door. 

Patrick

The singer looked around the hospital, growling low in his throat. His yellow eyes narrowed as he walked, trying to find any sign of the musicians he watched run in here.  
"Peeeete." He called out, looking for signs of movement. "Andy? Joe, Natalie, I know you're in here. Make this easier for everyone and just give up!" He yelled, gritting his teeth. He wanted blood, needed blood, needed to kill. Patrick suddenly saw a woman in a wheelchair at the end of the hall he was in. The small part of his brain still thinking rationally told him that she hadn't been there a moment ago, that she wasn't real, but he walked towards her anyway.  
"Who are you?" He muttered, but the woman just gestured for him to follow her before starting to roll herself down the hall. Patrick glanced around before slowly walking after her. The halls seemed completely empty aside from the two of them, which was making Patrick incredibly angry.  
"Kill, kill, kill." His brain was saying, repeating the word over and over.  
"Do you know where the others are? Is that what you're showing me?" Patrick asked, and again the woman didn't respond. He looked around, yellow eyes practically glowing. He reached over and dragged his hook along the wall, watching it form a deep scratch. This made him smile a bit, picturing the wall as the flesh of the others, picturing himself spilling their blood across the floor. 

Pete

The room Pete ran into had a phone. He had sighed with relief when he saw it, running over and dialing 911. When he raised the phone to his ear, however, he was met with a long tone. The sign of a dead line. Pete cursed to himself, looking the phone over before pulling it from the wall.  
"There's gotta be a room around here for the electricity..I can connect it in there." He murmured to himself before opening the door a bit and peeking out into the hallway. He closed his eyes, listening for footsteps. Hearing none, he quickly left the room and opened the next door. Operating room. Not what he needed. Next door. Storage room. Not what he needed.  
This cycle would continue for a while.

Joe

The guitarist found himself in an operating room. There weren't many places to hide, but he wasn't going to risk finding a new room. Joe sat down on the operating bed, running a hand through his hair and taking a few deep breaths.  
"The others are fine.." He said to himself, trying to give himself some reassurance. He didn't hear any footsteps outside the room, so that was good. Right? He was sure Pete would think of something, they would get out of this. They were going to get Patrick back, and they would be fine.  
Joe had no idea that he would be seeing Patrick sooner than expected. 

Nat

The redhead was curled up under a shelf in some sort of storage closet. She was shaking, fighting back screams or tears or both, she wasn't exactly sure. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself.  
"Happy thoughts..the Dance, Dance music video, yeah..that was fun to film..we were all in our awkward prom clothes..Patrick looked so silly.." Natalie said quietly to herself, smiling halfheartedly. "I'm two quarters and a heart down, and I don't wanna forget how your voice sounds." She sang to herself, tears silently streaming down her cheeks. "These words are all I have so I'll write them, and you need them just to get by.." She trailed off, looking at the door. She heard footsteps.  
The door suddenly opened, and standing there, looking around, was Pete.  
"P-Pete-?"  
"Shh. Stay here. I'm gonna get help." He whispered, holding up the phone in his arms before shutting the door and running off again. Natalie blinked before slumping back against the wall, heart pounding in her chest. 

Patrick

His vision was flickering. One moment he would see the woman in the wheelchair in front of him, the next she would be gone, and then she would be back again.  
"Where are you taking me?" Patrick asked, voice sounding annoyed and angry. The women remained silent, but she finally pointed to a door in front of them. Patrick suddenly grinned. "They're in there?"  
He didn't wait for an answer before throwing the door open. Inside was just a dark, empty operating room. Then his vision flickered again, and he saw a group of people who resembled the woman in the wheelchair. They all looked dead, their skin pale and their eyes dull. Patrick let out an angry growl.  
"I didn't want to meet your friends, I wanted to find the four people who ran in here!" He yelled, moving to swing his hook at the woman in the wheelchair. When he tried hitting her, though, his vision flickered yet again, and she was gone. Patrick blinked a bit, his eyes changing to an off green color before fading back to bright yellow. He let out a growl, leaving the room. Another flicker in his vision, and he heard the people from the room shuffling after him like zombies. He ignored them. His mind was still repeating the murderous mantra, and he was set to fulfill it. 

Andy

His wound still stung, but he knew it was at least clean now. He was leaning back against the shelf behind him, taking deep breaths every now and then to calm himself. Andy had started beating rhythms out with his fingers, not really playing any specific song. The act of drumming helped him relax. He looked around the room before tensing as he heard footsteps running down the hall. The door opened, causing Andy to practically shrink, covering his head with his arms to make himself smaller.  
"Damn it, where's the electricity room?" Andy heard Pete's voice mutter before the door closed again. The drummer sat up, looking over at the door. What the hell was Pete doing? He could get himself killed if Patrick heard him, and Andy knew that. The vegan pulled himself to his feet, quickly moving over to the door and opening it. Peering down the hall, he saw Pete closing another door.  
"Pete, what are you doing?" Andy asked, voice barely above a whisper. Pete looked over at him, surprised, before he held up the phone.  
"I'm trying to find the electricity room. Phones are wired through there, so I could reroute the modem and attach it to this phone. I could call for help then." Pete explained as he opened another door, cursing silently and closing it a moment later. Andy blinked before walking from the room he was in.  
"I'll help you look."  
Pete glanced at him, shaking his head.  
"No way. You guys need to stay hidden. Patrick won't hurt me, but I'm not sure about you three. Go back, Andy."  
"How can you be positive he won't hurt you? This isn't the Patrick we love, this is a monster that was forced into Patrick's mind." Andy said quietly, walking over to Pete. The bassist paused before looking at Andy again.  
"He's still in there."  
"I know, but he's not in control, Pete."  
Pete sighed heavily, nodding a bit.  
"I know..I know, Andy..okay. Help me find the room, but if we so much as hear footsteps, you run and hide, got it?"  
"Okay."  
The two of them began looking for the electricity room, quietly opening and closing numerous doors before Pete grinned.  
"Andy, over here." He said quietly, walking into the electricity room. The room was dim and musty, but everything was still working. Andy jogged over to the room after Pete, looking around quickly.  
"Alright, where's the phone lines?"  
"Hold on, let me look for a second. They're right...here, right here." Pete said, pulling a few cords from the wall. He looked them over before hooking them up to the phone.  
"Andy, try it."  
The drummer nodded and dialed 911, holding the phone to his ear.  
"911, what is your emergency?" A female voice came through. Andy's eyes widened a bit before he nodded.  
"Hi-oh, hi! Listen, we need help, please! We're in the hospital outside town, I didn't get a name-"  
"Sir, is this a matter of life or death?"  
"Yes, it is! My friend, he can't control himself, he's trying to find us-"  
"Find you?"  
"He thinks he wants to kill us, please, just send help!"  
"Alright, sir, calm down, cars will be dispatched. Are you in a safe location within the hospital?"  
"I-I think so.." Andy trailed off. "I need to go."  
"Sir, please stay on the phone-"  
"I need to go!" He repeated before putting the phone back on the receiver. Pete stared at him in shock.  
"Why the hell did you hang up?"  
"I've suddenly got a really bad feeling in my stomach. Something bad is gonna happen, Pete." Andy murmured. Pete raised an eyebrow.  
"What, you've got a sixth sense now or something?"  
"Just trust me!"  
"Fine, fine. Let's go."

Nat

The violinist was tired of just sitting and waiting. She couldn't just stay here anymore. Natalie sighed heavily, slowly standing up and walking to the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob before pausing.  
"..should I..? No, I'm going..I'm going.." She said to herself before walking out into the, thankfully empty, hall. She slowly walked down the hall, looking around carefully. A few minutes of walking later, she heard the sounds of footsteps. She gasped softly, pressing herself back against the wall.  
"Andy, do you even know where you're going?"  
"No, not really, Pete, but you don't either."  
Natalie blinked, straightening up slowly.  
"Andy? Pete?" She called out, just loud enough for someone close to hear. The footsteps stopped for a moment before they sped up. Pete and Andy rounded the corner next to her moments later. Natalie looked up at them in surprise before hugging them both tightly.  
"You're okay!"  
"Nat, quiet down." Pete warned, hugging back gently. Andy looked down at her before looking around.  
"We need to find Joe.." He murmured.  
Natalie blinked a bit before nodding.  
"Yeah."

Patrick

The blond haired man growled as yet another room he looked into was empty.  
"I know you're around here? Come out, you guys. It's just me. We're supposed to be best friends, right?" Patrick called out before pausing. He heard something. He turned his head towards a door, just a few feet in front of him. He slowly began smiling, walking quietly towards the room.  
"There you are." He murmured before pushing the door open, looking around. Another operating room, but this one had large cabinets in it. Large enough for a person to hide inside. He stalked forward, throwing one of the cabinets open. Empty. He growled slightly before opening the second on. His face split into a sadistic grin.  
"Hey, Joe. I missed you." Patrick muttered, grabbing the guitarist and pulling him from the cabinet. Joe cried out in surprise.  
"Patrick-Patrick, stop! Stop, please!" Joe exclaimed desperately, but Patrick just laughed a bit.  
"No."  
Patrick forced Joe down onto the operation bed, suddenly much stronger than he usually was. Joe kicked and clawed at him, trying to get away.  
"Andy! Somebody, help me!" He yelled before Patrick grabbed a dead cord laying on the floor next to the bed. The singer grinned as he wrapped the cord around Joe's throat. Joe grabbed at the cord, trying to get it away, but Patrick pulled against it tightly. Joe managed one last yell for help before he went silent. 

Andy, Nat, and Pete

The three of them tensed up as they heard a voice screaming for help. Joe's voice. Andy's eyes went wide.  
"No..no! Joe!" He cried, running down the hall. The other two followed suit, but Andy was suddenly faster than both of them, even with the wound in his leg. Near the end of the hall, and door was open. Andy ran into the room, freezing when he saw the scene that was before him. Joe was laying on an operating table, a cord tight around his throat. His eyes were wide and dull, mouth still open slightly in an unfinished scream. Patrick was standing over him, grinning.  
Pete and Nat rushed into the room behind Andy a moment later, both pausing when they saw what was inside. Patrick looked at them, grin vanishing and his eyes widening when he saw the looks on their faces. He stared at Pete, his eyes slowly fading back to blue.  
"...Joe?" Andy murmured, taking a step forward. "Joe..? Hey, wake up..wake up! You son of a bitch, wake up!" He cried out, grabbing Joe's shoulders and shaking him.  
"Andy! Andy, he's gone! He's gone." Pete exclaimed as he pulled Andy away from the guitarists corpse. Andy let out a sob, collapsing to his knees.  
"He promised..he promised we would be okay!" Andy yelled before dissolving into tears, burying his face in his hands. Nat knelt down next to him, eyes stinging with tears as well. She wrapped an arm around Andy's trembling form, trying to be some form of comfort.  
Patrick stared down at Joes body, eyes quickly filling with tears.  
"No..no, I didn't mean it..I didn't mean to!"  
Pete hugged him suddenly, stroking his messed up blond hair gently.  
"We know you didn't, 'Trick..we know.."  
Patrick clung to Pete, letting out a sob as he pressed his face into the junction between his neck and shoulder. Pete just held him, refusing to look at the body of his friend.  
"I never told him..I should've told him.." Andy managed to say before tears overtook him again.  
The four friends cried and mourned, with only the sudden sound of police sirens snapping them back to reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand now I'm sad. Comments and concerns are welcome!


	7. It's Just Fire Alarms and Losing You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long one, my friends. I didn't write the whole music video into this one, but don't worry, next chapter! Anyway, enjoy!

Joe

When the guitarist opened his eyes, he found himself standing in an old elevator. Joe looked around, and saw a young boy in a silver suit standing behind him in the corner of the elevator.  
"Hey..I recognize you. You were one of those kids who went ballistic on me and my friends. Where are we?" Joe asked, looking down at the boy. The boy smiled a bit.   
"We're in an elevator between worlds."  
"And that means?"  
"It means we're hovering in limbo." The boy answered.  
"Limbo? So...we're-"  
"Dead? Yeah. I'm a kid, so I stay in here to be a guide of sorts until I'm ready to move on."   
"..I remember how I died, but..who killed you?" Joe murmured. He didn't like the kid one bit, but he never wanted to see him dead.   
"I never saw a face..they snapped my neck, I think. Quick and painless, at least. You, on the other hand, had quite a struggle." The boy pointed out. Joe rubbed his throat a bit, nodding.  
"Yeah..wait. How d'you know that?"  
"I can watch earth as I please, now, and I've been watching you and your friends since I died. It's like a movie." The boy said with a shrug. "Anyway, going down." And the elevator started moving downwards. Joe's eyes widened a bit.  
"Wait a minute, you're taking me to hell? I mean, I always sort of figured, but-"  
"Don't worry. It's not for the reason you think." The boy assured, smiling again.  
"Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better." Joe murmured as the elevator came to a stop. The door opened, and Joe's eyes widened more as he looked out into the red tinted room.  
"...is this a strip club?" He asked before the boy pushed him from the elevator. Joe stumbled forward, looking back in time to see the elevator door close. As he looked forward again, two women with small horns on their foreheads walked towards him, smiling.  
"Hey." One of them greeted, brushing a few strands of dark hair out of her face.   
"Welcome to hell." The other said kindly, which was an odd combination. Joe looked at them, confused.  
"Uh..what's going on?"  
"Your last party, of course!" The first woman exclaimed, smiling brightly.   
"My last..party?"  
"Yeah. God doesn't allow these things upstairs, so people like you make a pit stop here. One last party before going to Heaven." The second woman explained, crossing her arms and shifting her head a bit to flick some blonde bangs out of her eyes. "So, what do you want first? Bar's over there, stage's that way."   
Joe blinked before smiling a bit.  
"Alright. I'll take the bar first." He said, and the two women practically escorted him to his barstool. The bartender glanced up at him, and Joe noticed he had small horns as well.  
"Any favorites?"  
"Whatever tastes best." Joe said with a small smile and a shrug. The bartender nodded and poured him a pint. Joe took a long drink, smiling more.  
"Awesome...wish the others could be here to enjoy this.." He murmured, the feeling of loss suddenly stabbing him in the chest.   
"Don't worry about them right now. You can do that in Heaven. This is your time to enjoy yourself." One of the women said, and Joe sighed.  
"Yeah..I mean, they're still alive, right? I should be happy about that.."  
"You'll miss them, we understand, but you're wasting your party time by sulking."  
"There's a time limit?" Joe asked, slightly bewildered.   
"Of course. If you're here too long, your soul will be corrupted and you'll be stuck here." The other woman explained.   
"Is that why you're all here..?"  
"Oh, no, we were never human. We were created here, this is home to us." The blonde assured, smiling a bit. Joe thought for a moment.   
"So, what happens to human souls who're sent here because they're evil?" He asked curiously.  
"Ah. There's special rooms for them, each one..specialized." The brunette answered, shrugging a bit.  
"Huh..alright then." Joe said before taking another drink. That's when he heard the sound of a door being opened. 

On Earth, Patrick Stump was arrested for the murder of his friend, Joe Trohman. Pete and Natalie had desperately tried explaining what happened as Patrick was taken outside, but the police wouldn't listen. They didn't even seem to care. The most they did was toss a shock blanket over Andy's shoulders before forcing the three of them out of the room.   
"You three are witnesses, so we need to take you in for questioning." An officer had said, and Natalie practically exploded.   
"Questioning for what!? What could you possibly ask us?! We tried explaining everything, but you wouldn't listen!"  
"Ma'am, I must ask you to calm down, or I'll be forced to arrest you as well."  
Natalie stepped forward and took a deep breath, red in the face, but Pete gently grabbed her arm and shook his head. Nat locked eyes with Pete for a moment before visibly deflating, taking a step back.  
"..of course. Sorry, officer." She mumbled before looking at Andy. He was staring at the floor, tears still falling silently from his now dull eyes. She reached out and tried grabbing his hand, but he just pushed her hand away. Not violently, but with enough force to send Nat the message. She blinked before nodding and crossing her arms instead.  
The three of them were brought to the police station and sat down at a long table. A new police officer sat across from them, his hands linked over the table.  
"This was a tragedy, what happened to your friend, and now we need to figure out why-"  
"We've already tried explaining this to you." Pete muttered. The officer looked at him before clearing his throat.   
"As I said, we need to figure out why this happened. Your friend Patrick, did he have any history of mental issues? Any instabilities?"  
"None." Natalie said bitterly.  
"Did he have any unsettling family history? Abuse, divorce-?"  
"What does that have to do with anything?" Pete asked, glaring at the officer.  
"Well, any trauma from the past could have caused him to snap-"  
"We told you this wasn't his fault! Take an x-ray or something, he's ticking like a clock on the inside! They did something to him, there's this song that triggers him." Natalie exclaimed before slumping back in her seat, gritting her teeth together. The officer looked at Nat, his face a mixture of annoyance and anger before he relaxed and looked at Pete.  
"Your friend, Joe, could he have done anything to anger Patrick?"  
"What, now you're trying to blame Joe?" Pete asked, amazed with the idiocy of this police department.  
"It's quite possible that they got into a fight of some sort, and Patrick was pushed over the edge-"  
"No..it's not." Andy murmured, surprising Nat and Pete. The vegan was staring down at the table before he looked up and locked eyes with the officer. "Joe had been screaming for help. Have you ever been in an actual fight, officer? Neither side would start flinching out and crying for help. Ever."  
The officer looked Andy over before standing up.   
"I believe we're done here, for now." He said, walking to the door.   
"So, you gonna lie and say Patrick was unstable? Or are you gonna blame this on Joe?" Natalie asked angrily. The officer didn't respond as he exited the room. Pete ran his hands over his face.  
"Idiots, damn idiots."  
Natalie nodded, her mouth turned downwards in a snarl, but Pete noticed her bottom lip quivering. He blinked. In the years he'd known her, Pete had never actually seen Nat get sad. She usually just got angry.   
"..Nat?" He asked gently, bracing himself in case she snapped at him. Instead, she did the exact opposite. Her snarl was replaced with a flat pressed line, and her hands were shaking. A few moments later, it was as if a dam had broke. She buried her face in her hands, a sob wracking her body. Pete stared at her in surprise before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.  
"..we'll get back at them..they took Joe, but we'll take ten times more from them. I promise." He murmured, trying to comfort Natalie.   
"..I can't do this..I can't do this Pete.."   
"What do you mean by that..?"  
"I mean I can't take this..Patrick was practically torn apart and put back together again, we've all almost died more times than I've kept track of, and now Joe is gone and I can't do this!" Nat exclaimed, running her hands through her hair. Her breaths were quick and shallow. Not good. Andy slowly looked over at her, his eyes changing from lost and dull to hard, almost angry.  
"Nat, deep breaths. Like Pete said, we'll get back at them. We'll give them hell. They'll regret taking Joe from us."

Speaking of hell, the devil was actually a pretty nice guy. He was sharply dressed, and Joe noticed that his horns were much larger than the other demons'. When he saw Joe, he smiled and nodded once.  
"Ah, you must be Joe Trohman. I met a friend of yours recently. Brendon Urie, I believe his name was."  
Joe blinked in surprise.  
"Brendon is dead..?"  
"Apparently so, I'm sorry to say, but worry not. He was accepted into Heaven with open arms. I'm sure he's happy." He then looked Joe over. "You don't seem to be watching the dancers much. Perhaps I was mistaken, would you prefer male dancers?"  
Joe's eyes widened a bit, a blush tinging his cheeks that he hoped would go unnoticed in the red lighting.  
"No, no, it's not like that. I mean, I wouldn't exactly care either way, but, I'm just not..interested.."   
"Ah. You're in love." The devil said with a smile, and Joe stared at him.  
"What? No, I just-"  
"Someone like you would only say that if you were in love. Let me take a wild guess. Natalie Thompson?"  
Joe shook his head. "No, no-"  
"Andy Hurley?"  
Joe blushed darker, but didn't respond. Satan-should he be called Satan?-smiled more.   
"I see. Well, there's not much time left for you down here, so I must ask. Would you like a tattoo?"  
"A tattoo."  
"Yes. Many souls accept, it helps them remember their time here."  
Joe thought for a moment before shrugging.  
"Okay."  
Satan smiled more. "Excellent. Girls, my needle, please."   
A few moments later, he sat down next to Joe with a small tattoo needle in hand.   
"Any specific place you'd like?"  
"Hm..back of my hand. Right here."   
It only took a minute or two for Satan to give Joe the tattoo. Joe looked it over.  
"Huh..okay."  
Satan smiled at him.  
"Time's almost up. Any last requests?"  
Joe thought a bit before smiling a bit.  
"One last high?"  
A moment later there was a white pill in his mouth, and the noises of Hell started fading into the background. 

Back on earth, Pete noticed something on the ground in front of the door. He raised an eyebrow before standing, walking over and picking it up. It was a small piece of paper. There was a black Fall Out Boy volcano stamped onto the corner.  
"..guys. You might wanna check this out."  
As the three of them read it over, they failed to hear Patrick screaming and struggling as he was brought from his cell by one of the very women who made him kill his friend.  
"Thank you, officer." She drawled, smiling at Patrick. "I'll take him from here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Joe's gone and Patrick was taken again. Damn it Courtney. Comments and constructive criticisms are loved!


	8. In the Hopes of a Few Minutes More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who procrastinated on this chapter? ME. But it's here's now!

The address on the note led the three friends to a rundown building. Natalie looked up at it unsurely.  
"Pete, I'm not sure about this..it's probably a trick." She murmured nervously, wringing her hands together.  
"It's not. I know it's not. It's a gut feeling, and I know that's stupid of me to say, but I just know we can trust this." Pete assured quietly, walking up and pushing the rusted door open. It was dark inside, only a faint yellow glow down a hallway illuminating things. Andy looked around before walking down the hallway slowly, Pete and Nat trailing after him. The three soon realized that the yellow light was coming from a room not too far away.   
"I'll go in first. You two run at the first sign of trouble, okay?" Pete whispered, looking his friends over. Natalie nodded a bit, still unsure, while Andy didn't show any signs of responding. The writer breathed in deeply and let it out slowly before walking towards the room, disappearing into it a moment later.   
Inside, Pete first noticed a pegboard covered in notes and pictures, connected with strings or drawn lines. The second thing he noticed was a blonde woman in black clothing, a red band with some sort of insignia around her arm. It was oddly familiar. It took him a moment to remember why.  
"You, you're one of those-!"  
"No, I'm not." The woman interrupted, ripping the band off and throwing it to the ground. "I infiltrated, hid in plain sight. Where're the others? Don't tell me..were they killed, too?" She asked, voice softening. Pete blinked before shaking his head.   
"No..they're out there..guys! Hey, c'mon, it's fine." He called out, and the other two walked into the room a few moments later. Natalie looked at the woman, tilting her head slightly. Andy looked her over quickly before examining the room.  
"Natalie, Andy, Pete..you're music's last chance. Everything that's happened to you all, Patrick, the kids, everything is being led by her." The blonde pointed to a picture on the pegboard of another blonde woman. "Her name's Courtney Love. She's the main bitch. She's running an army set on the destruction of any music, any creativity, all of it."  
"Why the hell would she want that?" Natalie asked quietly, biting her lip. The woman shook her head.  
"I don't know, but that's why she wanted the suitcase. The spirit of music is within, and like any good thing, it can be corrupted. She can turn it into a weapon of mass destruction. But if she thinks she can get rid of us that easily, she's got another thing coming." The woman muttered. "She wants to get rid of music? We'll fight right back with it."   
She turned around, looking the pegboard over before walking along the wall. The three musicians followed her path, suddenly noticing the odd instruments hanging on the wall to the left. The woman reached up before she turned and held something out to Pete.  
"Is this..a sword?" Pete asked, gazing down at the weapon now in his hands.  
"Fashioned from the remains of a bass guitar." The woman confirmed before handing a new weapon to Andy.  
"Drum set crossbow." The woman explained. Andy checked it over before holding it up and looking down the sight, a finger resting over the trigger. The woman nodded and handed him a quiver of sorts, filled with what appeared to be sharpened drumsticks. The blonde then handed Natalie something that looked like a halved violin.  
"Violin bow. You know archery, yeah?"  
"Yeah..does it fire arrows?" Nat asked, looking the weapon over.  
"Better. It fires bows."  
The woman handed Natalie her own quiver, which was filled with sharpened, modified violin bows. The redhead blinked before nodding.  
"Right. Got it."  
The three band members didn't bring up the two weapons still on the wall. They didn't need to, didn't want to reopen that wound. Not yet.  
The woman looked them over. "Alright, here's the plan. You three need to get in there, and get the suitcase from Courtney. I know you wanna save your friend, but unfortunately, he's second priority right now. Also, do not split up, under any circumstances. These girls literally live to destroy." She warned. The three band members looked at each other before nodding, a shared thought going through their minds like clockwork. Get revenge for Joe, for Patrick, for everyone.  
"Okay. Got it."

Unknown to them all, their best friend was being changed into their worst enemy. Patrick had been brought to Courtney Love's base, and was currently hooked up to a terrifying familiar device.   
"Please, stop!" He cried out, that damned song echoing through his head. This time around, he was strapped into the chair so tightly he couldn't even attempt to thrash. The woman who strapped him down just smiled, batting her eyelashes innocently.   
"Sorry. No can do. Ms. Love has given me special instructions for you this time 'round. I'm to make sure you're hooked up to this until it's engrained. Until there's no chance of you changing back, because we can't have that again, now can we?"   
And then she laughed quietly. She laughed right in Patrick's face.  
"Don't worry. You won't even remember your friends when you go to kill them." She said, as if it was some sort of twisted reassurance. Patrick closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head as he felt the monster inside him starting to stir.   
"No..no, no, no..please.." He murmured, his good hand clenching into a fist so hard that fresh drops of blood sprung forth across his palm. Patrick fought back against the murderer trying to take over his mind. He would fight it as long as he could, even if it killed him.   
Unfortunately, the fight didn't last long. Roughly fifteen minutes later, a low growl escaped Patrick's throat. His eyes opened slowly, glowing bright yellow. He straightened up from his slouched position, rolling his head a bit. The woman looked at him, smiling as their eyes locked.   
"Wonderful. I've gotta keep you hooked up a bit longer, though, Ms. Love's orders. You'll be able to go destroy afterwards, okay?"  
Patrick growled again before nodding a bit.  
"Great. Just another fifteen minutes or so, then you can go wreak havoc." The woman assured, smiling at him before walking from the room to tell Courtney that their weapon was almost perfect. 

Natalie had perfected her violin in no time. She set up another bow and pulled back, the violin strings playing a long C before she released. The bow flew forward and struck just beside the center of the target. She lowered the modified violin and walked over, pulling the bow from the target and sliding it back into its quiver.   
Andy took her place, lifting his crossbow into position before firing. The drumstick struck almost dead center. Pete had been given some dummies to practice with, and he dismembered a few of them easily.   
The three had been practicing with their weapons for roughly twenty minutes when Pete looked over at Andy and Natalie.  
"Alright. Let's go get the briefcase." He left 'and Patrick' unsaid, not wanting to give them false hope. Or maybe he just didn't want to give himself false hope. Either way, the two nodded.  
"Here's the directions. It's not too far, just outside the city." The blonde woman assured, handing Pete an areal picture of the city, a few lines drawn in sharpie leading to a circled building. Pete looked it over, nodding a bit.  
"Got something we can use to get there?" He asked, inclining his head slightly as he shifted his gaze up to the blonde.   
"There's a car in the garage, other side of the warehouse. Get out and walk as soon as the building comes into view, or you'll be dead before you can get there." She warned before letting out a slow breath. "..if something happens, you can always come back here. I'll wait. We can regroup, replan, anything."   
Natalie nodded. "Okay. We will, if we need to...what's your name?"   
"Just call me Tigirlily." She answered quietly, like she was telling some huge secret.  
"Well, thank you, Tigirlily." Pete murmured, managing half a smile before turning on his heel. "Let's go guys...we've got a job to do."  
Natalie started walking after Pete, but Andy paused at the door. He glanced back at Tigirlily.  
"..thank you." He said quietly before following after Nat. Tigirlily tilted her head a bit, realizing that was the first thing Andy had said to her the whole time he had been there.   
And it would be the last thing as well.

The three band members drove in silence towards Courtney Love's base. There wasn't anything they could think of saying. They just knew they had to get the briefcase.   
"Guys..there it is." Pete murmured, stopping the car. Nat looked out the window and instantly saw the large building in the near distance.   
"Alright. Let's start walking." She said, opening the door and stepping outside. She slung her quiver over her shoulder, violin bow in hand. Pete and Andy followed right after, weapons held at ready. Natalie looked out at the building, swallowing hard.  
"Guys..if we don't make it out of here-"  
"Nat, don't talk like that." Pete interrupted, starting to walk. She walked along behind him, shaking her head.  
"I'm serious. If we don't make it out, I want you to know that you guys..all four of you..you're my best friends. You're everything I could've asked for in life..you guys took me in when I was seventeen, letting me join the band with a friggin' violin, no less. Just...thank you." She said quietly, staring at Pete's back as they walked. She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but she turned to see Andy smiling at her, almost sadly.  
"Don't know what we would've done without you, Nat. You held us together." He said quietly, his voice a little hoarse from not using it in a long while. Pete glanced back at them before gazing ahead at the building.  
"We're coming, 'Trick." He said under his breath, and the three walked on. 

"Patrick. Ms. Love is ready to see you now." The woman said, smiling at the blond. Patrick looked up at her as she undid the straps holding him in place, the machine behind him shutting down a moment later. He slowly stood up, bright yellow eyes scanning the room. The woman smiled, crossing her arms.  
"Just follow me." She said, more of a command than a suggestion, but that didn't matter to Patrick. He walked out of the room behind the woman, looking around the warehouse. There were tables lined up everywhere, covered in destroyed instruments. More women stood at the tables, smashing guitars and crushing drums like clockwork.   
"Here he is, Ms. Love." The woman said as she pushed open a door. Inside was a small office, where another blonde woman was sitting with her feet up on the desk. She straightened up when she saw Patrick, however, taking her feet off the desk and smiling.   
"Wonderful. Thank you, Eliza, you can go." The blonde, presumably Courtney, said. The woman nodded and left the room, leaving Patrick and Ms. Love staring at each other. Courtney stood up and walked around the singer, smiling more.   
"Perfect. Shame they had to remove your hand, but that hook will have to do. Patrick, darling, d'you wanna destroy something?"  
Patrick growled a bit, nodding. Courtney's grin grew ever wider, and she walked back behind her desk. She grabbed something off the floor, holding it up. A record. She handed it to Patrick, who stared down at the black vinyl for a moment before he growled again and shattered the disk. Courtney laughed a bit.   
"Beautiful." She praised before handing Patrick a bass guitar. The singer looked it over, and he tilted his head slightly, suddenly looking conflicted. The instrument reminded him of something, someone...he ignored the sudden feeling and let out a yell as he swung around, smashing the guitar against the wall. Courtney laughed more.  
"Excellent, Patrick!"   
She was about to hand him a drum when the woman from before, Eliza, ran into the office.   
"Ms. Love, there's been a security breach!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! Dun dun dun!   
> Not really. Comments and criticism are loved!


	9. I Know I'm The One You Want To Forget

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Procrastination's a bitch.   
> This chapter has a lot of blood and death, just FYI. Nothing's too graphic, but it's there nonetheless.

"Nat, Andy, watch my back."  
The three band members had gotten into the base, not knowing or really caring if they were detected or not. Right now, Pete was leading the way, his weapon held before him at the ready. Andy and Natalie trailed behind him, Andy facing forward with his crossbow and Natalie watching behind them, her bow raised as well.   
"According to the schematics Tigirlily gave us, the main room should be...right down this hall." Pete murmured, suddenly turning a corner. Andy and Natalie followed suit, weapons still raised. They still hadn't run into any of Courtney Love's army, which was slightly confusing at the least.   
"This is the right place..so where is everyone?" Natalie whispered, looking around cautiously.  
"Probably all in the main room." Pete said, shrugging his shoulders a bit. Andy nodded, and it seemed like he had reverted back to not speaking. Nat sighed softly before noticing something at the end of the hall. A pair of double doors.  
"Guys, I think this is it." She mumbled, pulling a bow out of her quiver and notching it. Pete nodded in agreement and started walking faster, pausing as he reached the doors. He looked them over before glancing back at Natalie and Andy.  
"I'll kick 'em open, you two step in there with your bows." Pete said, his tone of voice caught somewhere between a command and a suggestion. He moved back a bit, giving himself some room to kick.   
"Don't shoot unless they come at you first." He added at the last moment before he raised his leg and forced the doors open. Nat and Andy rushed into the room with their weapons raised, one of them on each side. The first thing they all saw were rows and rows of tables littered with destroyed instruments. Standing at the tables were women dressed in black, red bands around their arms and numerous tools in their hands. The woman all turned to them, their reactions varying. Some gasped, others yelled, one girl even ducked down behind her table.   
"We don't want to hurt anyone." Pete announced, his voice carrying in the large room. His eyes had a fire in them, a look of complete and utter determination.   
"We just want to see Courtney."  
The women looked at each other before looking around the room, seeming lost. They started whispering to each other, a jumbled frenzy of words.  
"Do we have orders for this?"  
"I dunno. What do we do?"  
"Should we tell them where Ms. Love is?"  
"They might kill her-"  
"They might kill us!"   
One woman, a rather short girl with dark hair, stepped forward.  
"Why d'you wanna see her?" She asked, looking at Pete. The writer looked her over.  
"She took something from us. And she took our friend. We simply want them back."  
The girls looked amongst themselves, still seeming confused, without a direction.  
"You won't hurt her? Or anyone?"  
"Not if we don't have to." Pete assured, lowering his sword to show he meant it.  
"...those stairs there, they lead up to Ms. Love's office." The dark haired girl said quietly, gesturing to a thin staircase rising along the wall. Pete and the other two looked at the staircase, their eyes following it upwards to a door.  
"If this is a trick-"  
"It's not."  
Pete looked her over before walking over to the stairs. Andy and Natalie flanked him, bows raised and ready to fire. Pete walked up to the door, readying his sword as he approached it. Weapon in one hand, he reached out with the other and pushed the door open. His eyes widened a bit as he looked inside.  
"Patrick..?"  
Natalie heard the crack in Pete's voice. She glanced at Andy before rushing up the stairs, looking into the room over Pete's shoulder. Sitting in her desk, looking like a cat that got the cream, was Courtney Love. Patrick stood beside her, eyes glowing yellow and a growl rumbling in his chest.   
"Hello, Mr. Wentz. Ms. Thompson. It's a pleasure to see you." Courtney greeted, leaning back in her seat. Patrick stepped forward, but Courtney waved a hand in front of him.   
"No, Patrick. Not yet. Let's see what they want, first."  
Pete grit his teeth, torn between wanting to beg Patrick to snap out of it and snapping Courtney's neck. He took a quick, shaky breath.  
"We want the suitcase." He said, keeping his voice steady. Courtney seemed surprised, just for a moment, before she smiled.  
"Of course. Well, it's sitting right there. I'm at your mercy." She said, tilting her head slightly.   
"Pete, are you sure? This seems way too easy." Natalie mumbled, raising her bow. Pete shook his head, walking into the office. The suitcase was leaning against the desk, a pair of bloodied handcuffs dangling from the handle. The bassist's breath hitched when he saw them, but he swallowed and grabbed the case. He straightened up, looking at Patrick.   
"We'll come back for you. I promise." Pete whispered, mostly to himself. Courtney chuckled.  
"Did you hear that, Patrick? They'll come back for you." She repeatedly mockingly as Pete backed out of the room. Natalie looked at Patrick before following Pete down the stairs again. Andy glanced between the two of them.  
"C'mon, we need to go." Pete said, but Andy shook his head.  
"..not without Patrick."  
"Andy, there's no time, we need to leave." Natalie tried to convince him, grabbing his tattooed wrist. He shook her hand off, eyes suddenly having a new light in them.  
"We lost Joe already! We're just gonna leave Patrick too!?" Andy yelled before shaking his head. "You two go. I'm getting Patrick." He murmured, rushing up the staircase just as Courtney's voice suddenly echoed from speakers in the corners of the room.   
"Girls, code maroon." Was all her voice said before cutting off. Pete looked around as the women suddenly grabbed their tools, glaring at them. The bassist looked up at Andy, eyes widening in shock before he grabbed Natalie's hand.  
"Code maroon means kill, we're leaving!" He yelled, starting to run. Natalie tried pulling away, dropping her bow in the process.  
"What about Andy?!" She cried, looking at the top of the staircase again. She froze at what she saw. Two women were behind standing Andy. One grabbed him, the brunette, while the blonde pulled out a pocket knife. She flicked it open and quickly slid the blade across Andy's throat. Natalie saw the sudden spray of blood, heard Andy's choked off noise, watched him collapse to the ground. This all happened in the span of maybe ten or fifteen seconds. In those few moments, Natalie's world collapsed in on itself.  
Pete was yelling, he must've been, but it sounded far away. Nat was vaguely aware that she was being pulled along by him, the two of them running. She looked down at her free hand, realizing she was now holding the suitcase. She heard a distant, inhuman yell, and she knew Patrick was following them.   
"I'm sorry, Nat, I'm so sorry, but we need to hide. There's an old car lot behind this place, we can go there. Natalie, please, I can't keep pulling you like this!" Pete yelled, glancing back at the redhead. She looked up at him, and his heart clenched. Her eyes were hollow, void of the excitement that usually glimmered in the green depths. Pete quickly looked forward again, his grip on Nat's hand tightening slightly as he sped up. She followed after, finally starting to pick up her feet and run on her own. 

Patrick let out a growl as he stalked through the halls, glancing around. Pete and Natalie were nowhere to be seen. He had been right behind them, but then they'd taken a corner and seemingly vanished. The singer closed his eyes and thought for a moment before realizing.  
"We passed the exit." He murmured, slowly grinning. He quickly backtracked, finding the door and pushing it open. He instantly saw two figures running towards the car lot. His grin grew, yellow eyes glinting.  
"There you are."   
He started running after them, imagining what they would look like dead. 

Pete looked back at the building as they ran into the deserted car lot. He saw someone running towards them.   
"Patrick." He mumbled before shaking his head and tugging Natalie's wrist,  
"He's coming, c'mon! We need to find a car to hide in!" He pulled her towards a row of cars, ducking behind it to escape Patrick's line of sight. Pete looked down the row before opening one of the cars and crawling inside. He tugged Natalie in before closing the door, his breath coming in pants and gasps. 

Patrick approached the lot, walking around the old scrap piles and cars. He had just seen the two, but they had moved behind a row and vanished. He became aware that his vision was flickering again, the faded colors of the dusty lot swapping with black and white at random intervals. As the scenery became black and white again, he saw a woman sitting in one of the cars. She looked just like the people he'd seen in the hospital. She stared at him before pointing over at another car.  
"In there?" He asked quietly, and he got a nod in response. He looked around before grabbing a broken off pipe from the ground. He grinned before slowly approaching the car.

Pete tensed up as he heard footsteps approaching the car. Natalie heard them too, and thought for a moment before looking at the bassist.   
"..take the case and run." She murmured, pushing the suitcase into his arms. He blinked, staring down at her.  
"What-"  
"I'll distract him. He'll come after me. You'll have a chance to get away." Natalie explained quietly, already moving to the door opposite of them and grabbing the handle.  
"Nat, you can't! He'll kill you!" Pete yelled as the footsteps got closer. The violinist looked back at him, her face unreadable.   
"I know." Natalie said before shoving the door open and pushing herself out. "Patrick!! Over here!" She yelled, waving her arms in the air before starting to run. Pete watched her retreating back, part of him knowing that it would be the last time he saw her.

"Patrick, over here!"  
The singer perked up as Natalie suddenly came into view. She seemed to be waving at him before she turned and started running. Patrick gripped the broken pipe tighter as he ran after the young woman, a sadistic grin on his face.  
Natalie slid over the hood of a car and kept running, swerving in and out of rows. Patrick followed, only a few feet behind her. Nat eventually glanced back to see how far behind he was. Their eyes locked, and Natalie did something that confused Patrick. She stopped running.  
"..I'm not gonna run and hide from you, Patrick. Not this time." She said, turning around to face him. The singer blinked, yellow eyes looking her over before he smirked.   
"Good for me." Patrick muttered before raising the pipe. Natalie just closed her eyes. She didn't seem scared. Patrick let out a yell and thrust the pipe forward, grinning as heard bones cracking and felt blood spraying. Natalie's eyes opened, slowly looking down. The pipe had pierced a lung, right below her heart. She let out a cough, blood filling her mouth. Patrick pulled back, the now bloodied pipe exiting Natalie's wound. She staggered a bit before collapsing to the ground, blood starting to pool beneath her.   
"Now, where's Pete?" Patrick mumbled as he turned around, walking away from Natalie. She coughed again, more blood dribbling from her mouth before she forced herself to roll over. She stared up at the sky, suddenly smiling a bit.   
"..I'm coming, guys."

Pete had run away from the car. He was still running. Not because he was scared of Patrick, not because he was scared to die. He was running because he had to give Natalie's death purpose. He knew that she was dead or dying right now. There was no way she wasn't. He needed to ensure that she hadn't sacrificed herself in vain. He had his sword sheathed at the moment, the suitcase held tight in his right hand.  
"Pete, I found you!" He heard Patrick yell. He just sped up.   
Pete was suddenly aware that he was no longer in the car lot. He was now running through a small, decrepit town, if you could even call it a town. It was pretty much just a small cluster of houses. He didn't pay attention to any of the people he passed.  
"Peeeete! C'mon, slow down!" He heard Patrick yell again. "I thought you loved me!"  
That made him pause.   
Pete looked back at the singer, eyes wide. Patrick was smiling at him, a bloody pipe gripped tightly in his good hand. The bassist stared at him, tilting his head and slowly drawing his sword as Patrick walked towards him. He stopped a few feet in front of him.   
"Isn't that what you said? In the truck?" Patrick asked Pete, yellow eyes glinting. Pete blinked at him before his eyes narrowed, and he slowly shaking his head.  
"No. I don't." He muttered. He knew it was a lie, but it sounded like the truth. Patrick faltered when he heard him, his eyes widening slightly. They suddenly changed from yellow to an off green.   
"You don't..?" Patrick asked quietly, and oh god, he sounded like himself. Pete stepped forward, his own eyes widening again.   
"Patrick? Hey, Lunchbox, c'mon! Come back to me." He said, practically begging. This was his chance to get Patrick back.  
Patrick stared up at him, green eyes looking him over.  
"..Pete.." He murmured, stepping forward a bit. They were only a few inches apart now. Pete swallowed, looking down at Patrick unsurely.  
"'Trick..are, are you okay?" He asked softly. Patrick blinked up at him, tilting his head slightly before he leaned up. Pete blinked in shock as Patrick, his Patrick, kissed him. He stood still for a moment before kissing back, letting all his previously hidden emotions show through. This wasn't the first time he and Patrick had kissed, he always kissed the singer as a joke, but this was the first time it actually felt real.   
Patrick pulled away for breath all too soon, his eyes closed as he pressed his forehead against Pete's chest. He was smiling, and Pete couldn't help but smile too. He had his singer back. He had his Patrick.   
That's what he thought, at least.   
"Pete?"  
"Yeah, 'Trick?" He murmured, looking down at him and freezing as his brown eyes locked with glowing yellows.  
"You're a liar." Patrick muttered before tackling him to the ground, grinning down at him. The suitcase slipped from Pete's hand, landing somewhere off to the side. Patrick gripped the broken pipe and lined it up with Pete's chest.  
"Y'know, it's almost a shame." Patrick said. "You nearly broke through."   
Pete realized then that his Patrick was gone. His survival instincts suddenly kicked in, and he grabbed for his sword, raising it just as Patrick brought the pipe down. Patrick paused as he felt the sword stab through his abdomen, but he didn't focus on that. He was busy focusing on the pipe now embedded in Pete's chest, blood blooming across his chest and pooling beneath him.   
Pete coughed weakly, his vision blurring. He was dying. He was dying and so was Patrick. He felt the tears running down his face before he even realized he was crying.  
"..Patrick, I'm so sorry." He managed to say, his voice slightly muffled by the blood in his mouth. He only had a few seconds left.   
"Patrick, I love you." Pete said before going still, his eyes going dull.   
Patrick straightened up, the sword slipping out of his wound as he did so. He looked down at the wound, the severity of it suddenly occurring to him. He blinked, trying to stand up. He failed, collapsing next to Pete. He laid there on his back, slowly looking over at the corpse that was once his friend.   
"..Pete.." He mumbled, the name forcing itself from his throat before he, too, fell silent.

"Going up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there you have it. I think the next chapter might be it, folks.


End file.
